Electronic Health Record Sharing with Federally Qualified Health Centers

Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital and Northern Counties Health Care, Inc., have had a long-standing relationship of coordination and cooperation (both organizations were formed in the 1970s). Leadership from both organizations often has representation on each other's board of directors and/or board committees. Physicians employed by NCHC are members of the hospital's active medical staff and have been key decision makers on important policy issues such as meeting CMS standards, and operational issues such as creation of the hospitalist program that features physicians from NCHC as well as NVRH-employed physicians.

Prior to the implementation of electronic health records, the hospital and federally qualified health centers, and the other local medical offices, as well as the tertiary centers, endured the limitations inherent in paper medical charts—delays or inaccessibility of clinical information sharing.

In the mid-1990s, EHR technology opened the door for information sharing between the two organizations. NVRH CEO Paul Bengtson and NCHC then-CEO David Reynolds understood the technology's potential to streamline communication and thereby improve patient care and reduce clinician workload. They led the decision making during the planning stage of the initiative. Implementation decisions were handled by the information services leaders in both organizations.